Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

Shangguan Wan had been living in the district headquarters for a while. Jiang Pengji originally wanted to let her stay in a house with two halls, but Shangguan Wan felt that she had done nothing to deserve the reward. She would accept the reward when she had accumulated a certain level of qualification in the district headquarters, lest people be dissatisfied and shun her.

Jiang Pengji knew that Shangguan Wan was stubborn, so she was not too insistent on the matter.

It would be good for her to live in the district headquarters; at least no one dared to ignore Shangguan Wan. The women in the government office did not even dare to disdain or slight her.

Thanks to her roots, she quickly got the hang of the work in the government office. The women gradually began to admire her and acknowledge her as their boss.

The pressure in the government office had suddenly increased because the military had taken away many talented people for the war. Shangguan Wan was busy with work until past midnight.

She washed her face with the icy well water to rinse her sleepiness away. She was barely more awake for it.

The Tsing Yi Army attacked violently and the troops were defending against the enemy outside the city. Shangguan Wan was very worried, but she could not help much. She could only complete the work at hand well, and try to reduce the government affairs. She planned to go back to her room to rest for a while. She gently beat the sore spots on her neck with her fist while walking.

As she was walking, she spotted a dark shadow drifting across the corridor quickly with her sharp eyes. Her heart was suddenly in her mouth.

“Who’s there?!” Shangguan Wan secretly pulled out the short blade that she wore at her waist and stared at the corner with vigilance.

After a while, the shadow stopped moving and greeted her, “Lady Shangguan.”

Isn’t that… the voice of Sister Lanting’s servant girl, Taxue?

Shangguan Wan relaxed and sighed. “It turns out that you’re Sister Taxue. You scared me.”

She stepped forward and asked, “Did you get up to use the bathroom? Why don’t you light a lamp? It’ll be bad if you can’t see clearly and stumble.”

Shangguan Wan ignited a coarse paper roll. She realized that Taxue was carrying a lamp in her hand, so she lit the lamp for her.

Why would she not light a lamp when she got up in the middle of the night to use the toilet? It was 80 percent likely that the wind was too strong just now, and that it had put out the light.

“Thank you, Lady Shangguan,” Taxue thanked her gently. “Have you just returned from the government office?”

“Yeah. There are too many trivial matters to attend to in the government office. However, when I think about the chaos outside, these things have become a sweet burden instead.” Shangguan Wan felt that she had found a new self. Be it the work in the government office or martial arts, they both made her feel fully energized and vital.

Taxue spoke gently while holding her lamp. “The night is dark. Go back to your room quickly to rest. You’ll still have to be busy with work tomorrow.”

Shangguan Wan’s room was very close to where they were. She turned down Taxue’s offer to give her the lamp. She waved her hand and went back to her room, yawning.

Taxue stood where she was for a long time. She only revealed a secretive smile when Shangguan Wan had opened the door and lit the candle in her room.

With her back facing Shangguan Wan’s room, she held the side of the lamp and gently blew on the candle inside to extinguish the fire.

If Shangguan Wan had taken a more careful look, she probably would have discovered Taxue’s unusual attire.

Her outer clothes were obviously a lot bigger and looked a little ill-fitting. Her clothes underneath were grayish brown.

After slipping out of the district headquarters quietly, Taxue took off her outer clothes, revealing the grayish-brown costume.

This was the uniform of the female battalion.

She folded her outer clothes and placed them in a corner along the street.

She stood hesitantly in the spot for a moment, gazing at the west and north gates in the distance with a hint of malevolence in her eyes.

After a long time, her figure was hidden by the night and the shadows. She was not heading towards the west or north gate, but the south gate!

At that moment, the situation of the war on Feng Jin’s side had gone insane.

Occasionally, when one or two members of the Tsing Yi Army climbed up the city walls inadvertently, the troops would use the heavy shields to smack them together.

Corpses were starting to pile up at the bottom of the city walls. The members of the Tsing Yi Army stepped on the dead bodies and climbed upwards, getting closer and closer to the top of the walls.

At the bottom, the members of the Tsing Yi Army pounded faster and harder on the city gates. A layer of wall plaster would fall off with every hit. There were already more than ten cracks on the solid city gates. It looked like it was about to be smashed to pieces. General Pingtian gritted his teeth. Could this gate be that sturdy? It’s already in such a wreck. How can it still not be broken open?

At last, the city gates could no longer withstand the pounds, and it finally broke open when the members of the Tsing Yi Army were about to run out of strength.

However, a thick wall of solid baked bricks were blocking their way!

No one was behind the city gates. The troops were blocking the door opening with the baked bricks.

“F*** you!” General Pingtian could not help but swear when he saw the situation.

On the city walls, Feng Jin ordered someone to fetch him the mace. He planned to teach the Tsing Yi Army a lesson.

Luo Yue was already rushing towards the south gate to guard the city. It was expected that another troop of Tsing Yi Army would arrive soon.

“Use the mace!”

Feng Jin’s voice was hoarse. Even if he tried hard to shout, he seemed especially weak among the screams of the slaughter.

What was a mace?

It was rectangular in shape and slightly flat. Its panel was covered with long, sharp nails that resembled a wolf’s teeth. There were round buckles in the four corners. It was hooked on the city walls by using spiral ropes and pulleys. If the enemy intended to climb up the wall to make an attack, one could use the mace to smash the enemy.

With a single slap, more than ten bloody wounds could be found on one’s body.

There was still a very sufficient amount of defense weapons, but the Tsing Yi Army was already starting to look defeated.

In particular, the Tsing Yi Army was full of joy when they broke open the city gate with their enormous efforts, only to realize that the door opening had been blocked with countless, neat blocks of baked bricks. Breaking them was like demolishing a city wall. They were deeply disheartened.

They initially thought that they could conquer the city quickly by making a surprise attack, but they did not expect the enemy to be so prepared. General Pingtian was stupefied by their various tactics. He never knew that one could play so many tricks in defense of a city… It was impossible to either advance or retreat now.

After nearly four hours of fierce battle, it was not known how many members of the Tsing Yi Army had died. The troops on the city walls were just occasionally injured in seeming carelessness.

They only had ladders, bows and arrows for their siege. Their enemy had mounted crossbows, improved crossbows, wooden shields and fire arrows…

If they were so capable, why did they remain in the small Xiangyang District?

They should just go to heaven!

General Pingtian was so furious that he almost spat blood. He felt extremely despaired.

He initially thought that he was here to be a tyrant, but he did not expect to be stymied.

After a while, a soldier told Feng Jin that the stones and rolling logs had been used up. The reserve of arrows in the quivers were also insufficient.

Feng Jin looked at the Tsing Yi Army who were climbing up the walls… Although they’re being killed, they’ve increased significantly in number, Feng Jin muttered while gritting his teeth.

“Bring the bricks here!”

The baked bricks could make up for the lack of stones. He believed that he could crush the Tsing Yi Army.

“Yes, Sir!”

…

In another place, the south gate.

Luo Yue rushed to the south gate in a hurry and realized that nothing special was happening there. It also happened to be the time for the troops to change their shifts.

He asked the garrison in detail. His mind could not be at peace.

Due to the lack of manpower, half of the garrison at the south gate was from the female battalion.